Vélib' is the system of hiring of bicycles in self-service of Paris available since July 15th, 2007, set up by the Town hall of Paris and managed by JCDecaux which declines a Parisian version of its system Cyclocity. Since July 15th: 10648 bicycles are available in 750 stations and it is envisaged more: 20600 bicycles in: 1451 stations from here the end of 2007. Paris could in the long term have: 50000 bicycles of this type, in particular because of its success more important than envisaged with more than 10 million hirings carried out and: 150000 subscribers at November 22nd, 2007.

Similar precedents & initiatives

See also: Bicycle with the chart, Cyclocity

The provision of bicycles to users of a city by a municipality knew various French and foreign precedents. In France, before Paris and Rennes, the municipality of the La Rochelle, then directed by its deputy and mayor, Michel Crépeau, had, as of September 1997, with the favor of an operation “One Day without my car”, studied various means of popularizing means of alternative urban transports to the motor vehicle (gasoline or diesel) individual. Electric cars of the Elcidis type were proposed to the inhabitants. In September 2006, the community of agglomeration of the Rochefortais Country placed bicycles at the disposal of the inhabitants (mainly of the towns of Rochefort and La Rochelle) while founding for one week the exemption from payment of public transport on its territory. Michel Crépeau, minister of environment (1981-1983), which succeeded Maxime Bono, deputy and mayor of the La Rochelle, who continued his policy of total planning of displacements in urban area, inspired by many initiatives, both in France and abroad. But it had also found its inspiration in the example of various foreign agglomerations which, as of the end of the year 1970, had profited from the installation of measurements aiming at reducing displacements in the car individual.

A similar system (Bicycle with the chart) had been set up in Rennes by the company Clear Chanel Communications, precursor in the field in France, before this company sees isolated Parisian market.

An improved system was developed by JCDecaux, baptized Cyclocity and was set up at large scales at Lyon and Villeurbanne under the name of Vélo' v, with Aix-en-Provence under the name of V' Hello, like with Brussels under the name of Cyclocity.

The provision of bicycles is practiced by the municipalities of various metropolises in the world. As example, in Europe, one finds Vienna (Austria), which entrusted to an operator, Gewista-Werbegesellschaft, the management of CityBike Wien, strong device of more than fifty stations (Nov. 2007) equipped with 10 to 40 sites with provision of bicycles. The ajuntament (municipality) of Barcelona (Catalonia) organized, November 29th and 30th 2007, of the first Jornadas of Bicicleta Pública . The policy of encouragement of the use of bicycles in Barcelona is based in particular on the provision of cycles on the university campuses and the device Bicing, comparable with Parisian Vélib', extremely of almost 190 stations located in the “low” parts (of an altitude close to the sea level) of this port city dominated by mounts and hills. Launched at the end of March 2007, the Bicing device counted already more than 3.000 subscribers at the beginning of the next month. Bicing should exceed the hundred stations (between which some 1.500 bicycles would be distributed, according to the initial forecasts). The cycles Bicing, very light and handy, are placed at the disposal with tariffs (yearly subscription or weekly magazine, tariffing at half an hour) appreciably lower than those of the Vélib' device.

Operation

Methods of subscription

To subscribe at the year it is enough to fill a card with request to subscription and to send it by mail to Vélib accompanied by a check by 29 € (price of the subscription) and by a check by 150€ (check of guarantee not boxed) or by a bank account number with authorization by taking away. Within 15 day, the subscriber receives a mail of confirmation comprising his personal number of subscription and his Smart card without Vélib contact. If the user has already a chart of transport without contact Navigo, it is enough for him to indicate its card number (registered with the back of the chart) at the time of its subscription and its chart will become in fact its Vélib master key. The cards of subscription are available on the Vélib site, in all the town halls of district like near approved tradesmen (bakers, etc).

Tariffs, guarantee

A system of subscription (at the day, the week or the year) makes it possible to profit from first free half an hour, the following ones being paying and increasingly expensive, the maximum time tariff being reached as from third half an hour.

In July 2007, the price of the subscription cost:

• 29 € for one year;
• 5 € for seven days;
• 1 € for 24:00

At the same date, the tariff of use was, Vélib' is defined besides as one public transport individual (like was the precursor Praxitèle, ten years before). In addition, it does not return directly in competition with the traditional hirers out of bicycles, whose offers aim at longer durations of hiring, but less frequent.

It is possible to rent a bicycle as much once than one wishes to benefit from first free half an hour, however to avoid the abuses a withdrawal period five minutes is set up before a new hiring if the last one lasted less 30  min.

The system asks for a guarantee of 150  € at July 15th, 2007. Within the framework of a subscription of long life (one year), it will be versed in the form of check or of a bank account number with authorization of taking away, in the event of subscription short duration (one or seven days), it consists in taking the electronic print of the bank card used.

In the event of nonrestitution of the bicycle at the end of 24  hours, the guarantee of 150  € is boxed, in case of theft, the frankness will be of 45  € on the condition of carrying felt sorry for. In the event of loss of the key of the theft protection device, the penalty will be of 10 €.

Not more anecdotic, the system requires also an insurance of civil responsibility, included in the majority of the contracts subscribed to good of other occasions.

Use of the Vélib chart, hiring of the bicycles

The bicycles are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Stations are envisaged every 300 meters. The system envisages to be able to borrow a bicycle using a process automated by chart and in the same way to restore it in any other station.

In the event of possession of a Master key Navigo, the user must activate his account on a Vélib terminal during his first use. It is enough for him to pass its chart on the reader, to indicate his secret code, and finally to accept the general terms of sale. It will be able to then take a bicycle available.

The following times, it will be enough to pass the chart directly on the bornettes to obtain a bicycle.

In the event of hiring of short duration (1 day or 1 week), the user uses his bank card on a Vélib terminal to create a ticket comprising his number of customer. Thanks to this ticket, it can consequently as many carry out ways as desired for the period of hiring. It is also possible to use its master key Navigo or a season ticket long life in the place of this ticket. With a master key Navigo or a season ticket, it is possible to go directly on the points of fastener to unbolt a bicycle, whereas for a ticket it is systematically necessary to be addressed on the Vélib terminal in order to enter there its number customer and its secret code.

During the restitution of the bicycle, it is enough to engage the leg of anchoring in a free bornette and to wait well until the indicator becomes again green and that the bornette emits an acute sound. To restore a bicycle on a surmounted bornette of a red indicator is source of errors on behalf of the computing system.

A 2 minutes deadline is necessary before being able to relet another bicycle. If the station is full when the cyclist wants to park his Vélib', it badge its chart or its ticket on the terminal and has free fifteen minutes to find another station.

Device

The device includes/understands bicycles of course, but also terminals equipped with screen, intercom, etc and bornettes of fastener of bicycle.

20 vehicles

Points of fastener of Vélib, baptized " bornettes" , take again the general design of the installation. They include a mechanism of locking of the bicycle and a reader of Pro-Active Smart card without contact which reads the master keys Navigo or the season tickets long life. Certain stations, known as " allégées" , contain only bornettes and not principal terminal.

Bicycles

The bicycles are unisexes. They have three speeds changed in the hub (Nexus model of Shimano), of a lighting permanent before and back on dynamo and a basket in front of the handlebar.

They also have an auxiliary theft protection device with key. Considered to be by some not very robust, it is nevertheless sufficient to protect the bicycle time to go in a small shop, for example. They are equipped with a chip RFID on the level of the point of anchoring to be identified with the bornette.

Lastly, they are entirely ducted to fight against vandalism: the cables are hidden, the brakes are encapsulated in the hubs of the wheels, the tires theoretically " increvables" , the saddle is adjustable in height but cannot be withdrawn without tools.

They are not usable by young children (size 1m50 minimum), it is not possible to take a subscription that as from 14 years, with agreement of the legal person in charge.

Each bicycle weighs 22,5 kg. Even if they are lighter than their Lyons equivalent Vélo' v, they remain however very heavy.

They are manufactured by the French company Lapierre, subsidiary of the Dutch company Accell.

Noted dysfunctions

Some dysfunctions were noted:

• Of the variations of synchronization between the clocks of the various terminals, being able to go until a score of minutes, can involve an undue surfacturation. The Mairie of Paris however ensured that the excessive taking away will be refunded.
• the operating system of the terminals, Microsoft Windows, gives sometimes place to plantings, posting the blue screen characteristic.
• Because of the withdrawal period two minutes before the réemprunt of a bicycle, a person who takes a bicycle and returns account after it is broken down (for example, that it is run off the line) will have to wait two minutes before being able in réemprunter another.
• the baskets are in fine wrought iron stems: On much of bicycles certain weldings yielded.
• Breakage, vandalism and flight: at October 17th, 2007, the intensive use of the bicycles and acts of vandalism made that approximately 500 bicycles were except service. 1.000 others disappeared.
• In week, and especially in period of strikes of transport, the stations vélib' are often empty because of intensive use of the service. Certain users dishonest persons wishing " réserver" a bicycle block the nose gear wheel by means of a theft protection device, preventing its use.
• It often arrives that a station does not have bicycles available when one wants to take one of them, or that a station is full when one wants to return his bicycle

Confidentiality

The season ticket comprises a chip RFID which makes it possible to follow by name the catch and the deposit of a bicycle at the Vélib' boundaries. The printed circuit board with a chip radio frequency (RFID) makes it possible the user to be identified by a simple presentation in front of the readers integrated into the points of fastener and the Vélib' boundaries.

Subsidiary company JC Decaux, Somupi (Company of urban furniture for publicity and information) has these data during 24 months. CNIL was opposed to this time. The data processing should normally be re-examined so that the displacements included/understood in the subscription (lower than 30 minutes) are not memorized, and that those higher than 30 minutes are memorized only five days to allow a possible dispute.

Somupi in addition holds via the registration form the name, the address and the phone number of the people subscribed at the year. It was committed at the CNIL not preserving any personal data of the subscribers short duration.

Safety

To add several thousands of bicycles of the day to the following day in the dense circulation of Paris caused many concerns.

On each bicycle are recalled the elementary rules of the Highway code: I do not roll on the pavements, I respect fires and the stops, I do not transport a passenger, I do not borrow the prohibited directions .

The town of Paris also announced to want to amplify controls as for the respect of the highway code by the cyclists.

Indeed, the city required: 6600 bicycles minimum: 26000 maximum. JCDecaux presents a project with: 7500 bicycles in self-service, Clear Chanel: 14000. The market returns from right to Clear Chanel. JCDecaux anticipates this decision by analyzing the assembly of the file juridically and manages to make cancel the invitation to tender. In January, the invitation to tender is started again, JCDecaux proposes this time: 20600 bicycles. The JCDecaux group gains the market: publicity should bring back 60 million euros to him per annum and the bicycles to cost between 40 to 50 million euros.

Weak point of this choice, establishment of stations in the vicinity immediate of the stations. This one could be compromised, the american company being owner of ad spaces of the squares until the end of 2007.

Discusses on the connection of the market bicycles and publicity

Voices protested against the twinning of the invitation to tender bicycle and the invitation to tender publicity:

• because of the legal risks of the assembly, a preventive recourse (of JCDecaux, seeing the contract almost awarded to ClearChannel) had made delay the attribution of the market, and a second recourse was launched (by ClearChannel, after attribution of the market with JCDecaux),
• the opponents with publicity consider it regrettable that the city weaves a very strong bond between its services and publicity for the 10 years to come,
• the problem of advertizing exclusiveness prevents the installation of Vélib near the large Parisian stations, and is a limit with the extension towards the suburbs.
• the management software owner of JCDecaux empèche all inter operability with a rival system of which could be possibly equipped a city bordering on suburbs. This situation of monopoly in fact removes competition in the invitations to tender for the extension of the network.
• the town of Orleans east managed to disunite the markets, the bicycles are managed by Effia, subsidiary of the SNCF.

In opposition,

• the city recovers the incomes of the subscriptions and the political good image, without paying the operation costs of the device
• JCDecaux has already great experience in the field: several patents and the system of Lyon
• By encouraging such a system, the City advances with less expenses in its policy of promotion of the clean means of transport.

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